All Too Well
by beMMADfabulous
Summary: C.C. and Niles have been married for almost a year when the two have a fight that makes C.C. want to leave, but she finds something that brings back memories from early in their marriage. Niles hopes it will make her change her mind. Somewhat loosely based on the Taylor Swift song "All Too Well."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story was intended to be a one-shot, but I thought that it could possibly be better if I divided it into a chapter story instead. However, not all chapters will be this short. Please let me know what you think.**

**All Too Well**

C.C. was in a rage. She ignored his annoyed, pleading call for her as she frantically ransacked her drawers, carelessly pulling out random articles of clothing and stuffing them into a large black leather duffle bag. She paid no heed to the fact that she was tossing clothes onto the floor or that he, ruddy with frustration and all out of breath from having practically chased her up the stairs, was now standing behind her.

"So that's it?" Niles asked bitingly. "You're just leaving?"

C.C. paused for a moment, closed her eyes, and took a deep, shaky breath.

"For now," she muttered through gritted teeth.

She was angry, but she didn't want him to think she was leaving him for good...

"Where will you go?"

Admittedly, he was grateful that her intentions were to return. She frustrated him more than words could say sometimes, but losing her would be more than he could bear.

C.C. shrugged dismissively at his question.

"To a hotel, maybe. Or the Sheffields'; I'm sure they'll take me in."

Niles opened his mouth to comment on the generosity of people who took in strays, but he quickly shut it again, certain that this was not the time for another barb at her expense.

"Oh, will you _stop_?" he seethed. "You're going through _my _drawers now. You're not leaving."

Niles felt his heart sink as C.C. suddenly stopped what she was doing and slowly rose to her feet.

"You will _not _tell me what I will and will not do," she threatened icily.

Her attention snapped back to the drawer she had just been scrounging through.

"If this is your drawer," she began curiously but still angrily, "then what is my scarf doing here?" She bent down and picked up the long, black, silky strip of material. "I haven't seen this scarf in almost a year."

Despite himself, Niles smiled at the sight of the scarf.

"Don't you remember?" he asked softly.

Her fingers swept across the silk in a slow, lingering motion as the memories flooded back to her.

"I..." she began in almost a whisper. "Yes, I remember..."

**To be continued**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: The remaining chapters, except for the last one, will be told in flashback - back to right after Niles and C.C. were married, where Niles decided to take C.C. back with him to England to meet his family. Each of the flashback chapter titles will be a lyric from the song "All Too Well" that ties into that chapter. I can't sleep, so this chapter happened...**

_**"You almost ran the red 'cause you were looking over at me."**_

"Are you _sure_ you know where you're going?" C.C. exclaimed, a deep frown marring her face.

"Of course I do," Niles insisted.

He didn't feel as confident about it as he wanted her to believe. He had grown up traveling these roads, it was true, but he was surprised to find that some roads had changed since then.

"Hmm," she hummed skeptically. "I don't understand why we had to rent a car. We could have just taken a taxi wherever we needed to go."

He sighed heavily but did not reply. He had explained it to her already, at least twice; his parents' home was in a more rural area, and transportation fees back and forth to town would have been expensive.

"I like this song," C.C. commented quietly, seemingly forgetting her argument as she turned up the volume on the radio.

Niles' eyes widened playfully as she began to hum the song.

"_You_ like this song?" he asked with surprise evident in his voice. "Does Fran know?"

She cut her eyes quickly to him

"_No_," she replied sharply. "And she doesn't need to find out."

Niles chuckled at this.

"Your secret is safe with me."

C.C.'s humming soon turned into singing along somewhat loudly as the song reached her favorite part.

"_Could it be that it was all so simple then, or has time rewritten every line..._"

Niles joined in to sing the rest of the song with her, both of them ending in laughter.

"Fran can never know about this," C.C. warned jokingly.

"You have my word," he replied with a grin.

Niles took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh, sweet country air.

"We're almost there," he commented.

"Good," she answered simply. "It is so beautiful here."

"I hoped you would like it."

Niles was mesmerized as his wife reclined her head against the head rest and smiled softly. Her skin looked so smooth and glowing in the afternoon sunlight, and her golden hair seemed to shimmer as it blew in the gentle breeze blowing through the windows.

"Niles, _stop_!" she shouted suddenly.

His attention snapped back to the road, and his foot slammed on the break as he almost ran the red light ahead. Thankfully, no one else was around. Once she was certain they were okay, C.C. began to laugh as her heart still raced.

"The only stop light in the area, and I almost ran straight through it..." Niles grumbled.

"Then keep your eyes on the road next time!" she teased.

"I apologize. Something distracted me..."

C.C. rolled her eyes.

"I'll show you a distraction."

**To be continued**

**A/N: The song they sang together was, of course, "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand.**


	3. Chapter 3

_**"I walked through the door with you, the air was cold, but something 'bout it felt like home somehow..."**_

When Niles parked the car outside his parents' home, he turned to C.C. with a smile, which she returned with one that did not quite reach her eyes. Before he could open his mouth to ask what was wrong, she answered his question.

"Will they like me?" she asked in a small, breathy voice.

Niles shook his head and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"They will _love_ you," he assured her quietly, allowing his hand to linger lovingly upon her cheek.

C.C. smiled softly and nodded, still uncertain but trusting in her husband and best friend. He leaned into her to place a comforting kiss onto her lips and then pulled her into a strong hug.

"I've been wanting them to meet you for so long... longer than you know," he admitted. "Just don't hump the furniture," he added, hoping to set her at ease with a bit of their normalcy.

His comment had the desired effect, as C.C. laughed and rolled her eyes at him.

"I hate you," she said deeply.

"Hate you more."

Niles could not help but notice the hesitation in C.C.'s steps as they approached the house. He placed his hand on her lower back and gave her another reassuring smile, which seemed to comfort her somewhat, as he felt a small release of tension in the muscles of her back when he did so.

C.C.'s heart pounded as Niles knocked on the door. They would hate her; she grew more and more sure of this with each frantic beat of her heart as they waited.

C.C.'s mind whirled, making it a blur as the door opened at last, and a thin, gentle-looking older woman appeared and pulled Niles into a tight embrace.

"I've missed you, Mum," he said with a bright smile that matched his mother's and warmed C.C.'s heart.

"I've missed you too," she replied, clasping his hands in hers.

C.C. felt her heart skip a beat as the woman's light blue eyes turned to her. The older woman's face spread into a renewed smile, which C.C. nervously tried to return as convincingly as she could.

"Niles," the older woman spoke quietly, "she's every bit as beautiful as you've always said."

"She is," he replied warmly, sliding his arm securely around his wife's waist, knowing that she was still nervous.

"It's starting to get chilly out," his mother commented as an icy breeze blew past them into the house. "Come on inside and get warm."

C.C.'s lips parted slightly as she entered the lovely quaint house where Niles grew up. She felt a rush of emotion spread through her, and she could not shake the feeling that this felt like home somehow...

**To be continued**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

C.C. stifled a sigh as she dropped her bags unceremoniously on the bedroom floor. She ran a hand over her slightly swollen belly as a wave of discomfort spread through her stomach; she was uncertain of whether it was a result of her pregnancy or of the overwhelming anxiety she was experiencing from finally meeting Niles' family.

"Mum really loved you," Niles was saying. C.C. didn't have the heart to admit that she was still unsure of whether this were true. "I can't wait for Dad to get back from the market so he can meet you too."

C.C. plastered on the best smile she could muster and nodded her head in quiet agreement. Niles, however, could not miss the dullness in her eyes, the tension evident in her body as she moved, or the small wrinkle on her forehead that emerged whenever she was particularly worried about something. He was silent as he moved to her, slipped his arms around her waist from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I know you're not yet convinced," he whispered to her, "but you'll see. How could they not love you?"

Niles felt her become even more tense as he said this. She could not hide the fear that spread across her face.

"I'm not exactly the easiest person to love," C.C. spoke hoarsely.

Niles felt a tightening in his chest and, surprisingly to him, a sudden urge to cry.

"Don't say that," he replied, drawing her closer to him.

C.C. meant to pull away from him, but she found that she did not seem to have the energy or courage to move.

"It's true," she said in a small voice.

"No, it's not," he assured her. "Loving you is the easiest thing I know..."

"Don't get mushy with me," she warned, wriggling somewhat in his grasp, as if signaling that she wanted to be released.

Niles paid no heed to her silent request of freedom and instead again held her tighter.

"What if they don't like me?"

"They will."

"But what if they don't?"

"Then I don't care what they think, because I'm keeping you."

The light, joyful laughter that bubbled out of his wife was a delight to Niles' ears. C.C. opened her mouth in reply but was cut off by her mother-in-law's call from downstairs.

"Niles, your father is home!"

Niles took C.C.'s hands within his own and kissed her jawbone softly.

"I love you," he whispered.

It was all the assurance she hoped she would need.

**To be continued**


End file.
